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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. FERRIS. WINDMILL REGULATOR.

No. 417,416; Patented 1m. 17, 1889.

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WINDMIL'L REGULATOR.

No. 417,416. Patented Dec. 17,1889.

N, PETERS, PMo-Lilhographur, Wzlhington, 0.0.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- HENRY L. FERRIS, or HARVARD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR' 'ro HUNT, IIELM &

'FERRIS, or SAME PLACE.

WINDMILL-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,416, dated December 17, 1889.

Application filed July 26, 1889. Serial No. 318,777. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: device, as will be hereinafter more fully Be it known that I, HENRY L. FERRIS, of stated. I'Iarvard,'in the county of McHenry and State B is a vertically-reciprocating pump-rod, of Illinois, have invented certain new and useconnected in the'usual manner at itsupper ful Improvements in NVindmill-Regulators; end to the crankshaft of the windmill and and I do hereby declare that the following is at its lower end to a pump.

a full, clear,'and exact description thereof, Neither the windmill, the pump, nor the reference being had to the accompanying connections of the rod 13 form any part of the drawings, and to the letters of reference present invention. These parts have not re marked thereon, which form a part of this been illustrated, as my invention is not to be specification. confined to any particular windmill.

This invention relates to devices for.regu- Upon and between the said cross-beams A latingwindmills whereby the operating-wheel is a flat metal plate B, constituting a frame may be thrown out of the Wind, and the for the immediate support of the regulating I 5 pumping of water thereby stopped, and also device. The use of this frame-plate, while to throw the operating-wheel back into the preferred, is, however, not essential to the opwind automatically as the water is lowered eration of the regulating device, as the latter in the tank, and thus causing the pumping may obviously be supported directly upon of water to be resumed. the cross-beams A A. Upon said plate (or 20 The invention consists in the novel con secured to the beams AA) are the two jour- 7o struction and combination hereinafter more nal-bearings B which support a shaft 1). fully described and claimed. C is a ratchet-wheel mounted loosely upon In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side View of the shaft b, and having an annular flange c a portion of the upper structure or frame for located near the periphery of the wheel for 25 the'support of a windmill, having my novel engagement with suitable friction devices.

regulating device attached thereto and shown C is a lever loosely mounted at one end in end elevation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation over the shaft 1), and having a slot 0 in its of the device, the parts being shown in a other working end. A bolt 0 and nut 0 sechanged position from that shown in Fig. 1. cures this lever C to the pump-rod B.

30 Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same, the C is a pawl pivotally secured to the lever parts being in the same positions shown'in O in position to engage'the teeth 0 of the Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan View of the device in ratchet-wheel O. Aweighted'arm C extends position illustrated in Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are from this pawl to one side of the wheel 0, and side views of the ratchet-wheel and the griptends to constantly keep said pawl in engage- 3 5 ping devices, showing the latter in different ment with the teeth o positions. Figs? and 8 are enlarged views 'Iivoted to av lug 1), depending from the of the clutch and the flange on the ratchet central portion of the frame-plate B, is a wheel engaged thereby; gravity-pawl B adapted also to engage the In said drawings,A A are suitable crossratchet-wheel teeth, to prevent thereby the 40 beams of the tower A or windmill-support. movement of the said wheel toward the pawl A is an ordinary water-tank secured at Biwhile permitting it to be freely rotated in convenient distance from said beams A A the opposite direction. This pawl B may be upon the cross-beams A A or by other suitpivoted to one of the cross-beams A, if deable means, and provided at or near its top sired, as will be readily understood.

45 witha water-supply pipe a, leading from a Each upward stroke of the pump-rod B 5 pump. (Not shown in the drawings.) carries the moving end of the lever 0 up- A is a float within the tank A and said ward. The pawl C engages one of the teeth float A is connected, by the rod, wire, or ca- 0 and as the upward movement of the armble a, the bell-crank lever a and arod,wir e, lever C continues the ratchet-wheel is ro- 5 or cable a with a lever uponmy regulating tated upon its shaft 11. lVhen the rod B descends, it carries the lever C downward, the pawl C slipping over the teeth 0, while the pawl l engages one of said teeth and prevents a return of the ratchet-wheel. Loosely mounted upon the shaft I) on the end adjacent to the flange 0 is a spool or sleeve 1), which carries a lug or arm (I.

D is a two-armed lever, pivoted at (l to the lug d, and having the end of its lower arm bifurcated, so that said arm mayencirele the said shaft Z).

D is a spring placed around the shaft Z) and interposed between the end of the loose sleeve D and the bifurcated arm of the lever D. One end of the sleeve rests against the face of the ratchetavheel C, as will be readily understood, and therefore the spring D tends constantly to press the bifurcated arm of the lever D outwardly or away from the said sleeve. The tendency is checked, except as hereinbelow stated, by the pull of the float A, which, when the water in the tank is exhausted, acts as a weight.

E is a lever pivoted at e to a suitable lug on the frame-plate B, (or on the cross-bar A,) and connected at its lower end with the cable or rod a. The upper end or arm 6 is bifurcated to surround the shaft 1), and presses against the bifurcated arm of the lever D. The weight of the float A thus tends to hold the lever D in theposition illustrated in Fig. 1, while the spring D exerts its power in the opposite direction.

D is a bracket-arm extending out from the sleeve D, it being integral therewith and with the arm (I. The gripping-lever arm F is pivoted atfto the end of the bracket-arm D The outer upturned end f of this arm F is attached to the cable, wire, or rod F, by pull.- ing on which the windmill is turned out of the wind, while the other and shorter arm f is bent upwardly, so that its bifurcated end f will engage the rounded end of (or a pin or stud on) the arm I). This lever F is provided with two raised lugs or projections f f, which constitute the clutch mechanism. The adjacent faces of these lugs f f" are substantially parallel, and are at such distance apart only as will admit the free passage between them of the flange c of the ratchet-wheel when the arm F is in its normal position, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, Jr, 5, and 7. \Yhen said lever is moved very slightly from the normal position, the position of the faces of the lugsf f is changed, so that they bear against the rim or flange c of the ratchet-wheel, one on the inside and one on the out-side, as shown. The greater the movement the greater the frictional bearing of these parts. Such movement is comm unicated to the lever F by the spring D G is a cable, wire, or rod engaging at one end the lower end of the lever E, whereby by pulling on said cable G the level-E may be moved by hand against the pressure of the spring D The operation of my device is as follows:

The parts being in the position illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5, and '7, the windmill in the wind, and the )llIllp-l()(l ll moving up and down, and thereby, through the lever (1', rotating the ratchet-wheel, except when the pawl C is disengaged from the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, when a sufficient quantity of water has been pumped into the tank A, the float A" will have raised to'such a position as to cause a slackening of the cable a, whereupon, the pressure against the spring D through the lever (1 cable a", and lever E,being removed, the spring forces the bifurcated lower end of the arm D outwardly, and at the same time, through the other end arm of this lever 1), draws the cndf of the arm F downwardly. The lugs f" f now firmly engage the rim or flange 0, thus uniting the arm F to the ratchetwheel 0. As the ratchet-wheel is revolved by the continued reciprocating movement of pump-rod and the lever C, the wheel carries with it the lever F, until finally said lever is in the position shown in Figs. 2, t and 8. lVhen the water is being drawn out of the tank, the weighted float A descends, and thereby automatically throws the governing-wheel into the wind again by exerting pressure against the spring D thereby throwing the arm f up and loosening the grip of the clutches ff on the flange e. As will be readily understood, the cable F being thereby slackened, the operating-wheel promptly flies into the wind and at once begins work. It will thus readily be understood that my improved device regulates the action of the wind-wheel both when in the wind and when out of the wind. Should it be desired, however, to throw the mill into the wind for a few moments at a time-as, for example, long enough to pump a pail full of water-this may be accomplished by a downward pull upon the cable G. This cable G is trained over the pulley g, and is connected to the lower end of the lever E. The downward pull upon the cable G causes the upper arm of the lever E to press the lower end of the lever D toward and against the spring D raise the upper arm of the lever l) and the short arm of the gripping-lever F, and thereby loosen the grip of the lugs f" f on the flange c. The friction being thus released, the windmill swings into the wind, pulling the lever F up into its normal position. Upon releasing the tension on the cable G the spring D operates the levers D and F again, as heretofore explained, and the lugs f f again grip the flange c of the ratchet-wheel.

It is found that even when the mill is out of the wind the direction of the wind will suddenly change sufficiently to operate the mill for a short time. In such cases provision must be-made to prevent the continued rotation of the ratchet-wheel and the parts connected to it, lest these parts become strained, twisted, or broken. To obviate such trouble,

I place an arm II upon the sleeve D in such position that when the arm F has reached the position illustrated in Fig. 2 the end h of said arm will have engaged the under side of the pawl C and will have raised said pawl out of engagement with the ratch et-Wheel. It will be manifest that in this position any os-' cillation of the arm 0' will not cause any rotation of the ratchet-wheel.

W hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In combination-with the pump-rod of a windmill and a cable for drawing the mill out of the wind, a ratchet-wheel, a lever connected to the pump-rod andhaving a pawl to engage the ratchet-wheel, a clutch-lever connected to the windmill-cable and having clutches for engagement with the rim of said ratchet-wheel, and mechanism, substantially as described, for causing said clutchlever to frictionally engage the ratchet-wheel, substantially as described. I

2. The combination, with a pump-rod and a cable for drawing the mill out of the wind,

of a clutch-lever connected to said cable, a

ratchet-wheel provided with a flange, a lever connected to the pump-rod and having a pawl thereon for engagement with the ratchet-wheel, a pivoted lever, one arm of which engages the .said clutch-lever, and a 'spring in engagement with the other end of said pivoted lever, whereby by the pressure of said spring the clutch-lever is caused to frictionally engage the flange of the ratchetwheel, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a pump-rod of a windmill and a cable for drawing the mill out of the wind, of a water-tank and a v weighted float therein connected to said cable, a pawl and ratchet-wheel connected to said pump-rod, and a clutch-lever connected to said cable and adapted to grip the said ratchet-wheel when the weight of the float is relieved by the raising of the water in the tank, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a pump rod of a windmill and a cable for throwing the mill out of the wind, of a clutch-lever connected to said cable, a pawl-and-ratchet mechanism, substantially as described, operated by the pump-rod, a spring on the ratchet-wheel shaft normally tending to engage the clutchlever with the ratchet-wheel, a pivoted lever, one end of which engages said spring, and a weight suspended from the other end of said pivotal lever, whereby said clutch-lever is normally held free from engagement with said ratchet-wheel, substantially as described.

5. An apparatus for automatically throw ing a windmill out of the wind, consisting of a lever connected to the windmill, a pawland-ratchet mechanism, substantially as described, operated by the pump-rod, a spring for uniting the said lever to the said ratchet, a weighted float adapted to release the spring, and an arm connected with said lever and adapted to disengage said pawl from said ratchet when the mill has been thrown out of the Wind,substantially as and for the purpose specified'.

6. An apparatus for automaticallythrowing a windmill out of the wind, consisting of an operating-cable connected to a clutch-lever, a pawl and ratchet, said pawl being operated by the pump-rod and said ratchet having a flange for engagement with the clutch-lever, a spring for operating said clutch-1ever, a pivoted lever and a weight suspended therefrom, whereby the clutch-lever is held out of engagement with the said ratchet, said weight being a float adapted to rise in a tank of water and release said pivoted lever, and a movable arm for disengaging the said pawl fromthe ratchet when the windmill is out of the wind, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing asv my invention I a'Etix my signature in presence' of two. witnesses.

HENRY L. FERRIS.

' Witnesses:

N. E. BLAKE, O. W. GODDARD. 

